History Of The European Championship: 1988

Holland deservedly won their first international honour through playing the most enterprising and entertaining football of the whole tournament.

Most of the stars who shone brightest in West Germany wore the orange of the Dutch side and it would have been an injustice had the USSR spoilt the party at the final in Munich.

With more quality players in their squad than any of the other seven competing countries, their superior teamwork, technique and discipline was too much for the teams they faced. However, the Dutch were not the unstoppable machine that many people look back on that side as having been.

They panicked at times and for a twenty minute spell against the Germans in the semi-final, lost their composure completely in the wake of intimidating tactics imposed by their opponents. In addition, the woodwork twice rescued them in their crunch group match against England.

However Holland did possess the man of the tournament in Marco van Basten. Fresh and ready to go having missed most of the season through injury, the AC Milan ace set the competition alight.

His hat trick against England was a display by one of the greatest strikers of his generation playing at the peak of his powers, but his overall work in being the target man in attack,able to hold on to the ball and then distributing to teammates round him, underlined his overall outstanding contribution.

He saved his best goal for the final. Leading by Gullit's first half strike, van Basten struck a glorious volley with his right foot some eight yards from the by-line on the edge of the penalty area which found the top left corner of the net. Simply stunning.

In many ways the Soviet Union were the surprise team of the tournament.